If you have an out-of-state driver's license and have been arrested for Los Angeles DUI, there are special issues that can complicate your case. Most importantly, your Los Angeles DUI arrest can jeopardize your driving privileges both here and in your home state. A skilled Los Angeles DUI attorney will fight to protect your driving privileges both here and in the state that issued your license.

Regardless of where your driver's license was issued, your Los Angeles DUI case triggers two separate cases - in court and at the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

The California DMV will automatically suspend your driving privileges within the state after a Los Angeles DUI arrest, regardless of where your license was issued. If the DMV finds by a preponderance of the evidence - the lowest standard of proof in law - that had a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or greater while behind the wheel, it will suspend your driving privileges within California starting 30 days after your arrest.

How your Los Angeles DUI arrest affects your driving privileges in the state that issued your license will depend on whether your home state is part of the Interstate Driver's License Compact, an agreement between 45 states to share information about driving-related crimes, including DUI. Wisconsin, Georgia, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and Michigan are the only states that do not participate in the IDLC.

Your driver's license is the property of the state that issued it. When a driver with a California license is arrested for DUI here, the arresting officer will seize the license and issue a temporary document that indicates that the driver's privileges are valid for only 30 days. After that the license will automatically be suspended.

However, if your license was issued in a state outside California, police cannot seize your license. The arresting officer will give you the same temporary license that holds off the suspension of your California driving privileges for 30 days.

You have only 10 days after the date of your Los Angeles DUI arrest to request a California DMV administrative per se (APS) hearing, or your driving privileges will be suspended within the state within 30 days regardless of where your license was issued. If you don't prevail at your DMV hearing or don't request one, the DMV will notify your licensing state, which may suspend your license. An experienced Los Angeles DUI attorney can fight for your rights both in court and at the DMV hearing.

A Los Angeles DUI arrest creates the potential for tremendous financial and personal consequences regardless of where your driver's license was issued. A Los Angeles DUI attorney will fight to minimize the repercussions for out-of-state drivers arrested for drunk driving in California.